boy, did this guy pick the wrong place to try to illegally cross the border

[cali]

Feds: Smooth global swindler nabbed at US border
By LISA RATHKE (AP) – 45 minutes ago

MONTPELIER, Vt. — A handsome, smooth-talking Colombian who has been wanted in several countries on suspicion of stealing from wealthy hotel guests was arrested after crossing illegally from Canada to Vermont, federal authorities said.

Juan Carlos Guzman-Betancourt, 33, is wanted in Nevada on a 2006 warrant on a burglary charge and was arrested Sept. 21 after trying to convince a border guard that he was only seeking help for a broken-down car, officials said.

He has at least 10 aliases and uses his good looks and gift of gab to get into rooms and locked safes, authorities say. He even once escaped from a prison outside London in 2005 after persuading authorities to let him go to a dental appointment without a guard.

He was nabbed this month at a gas station near the U.S.-Canadian border in Derby Line and is being held on charges of re-entering the U.S. after being deported, authorities said. His lawyer, Michael Desautels, didn't return a call Tuesday.

British prosecutors and police have compared him to legendary American con man Frank Abagnale Jr., the subject of the film "Catch Me If You Can," starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

"He is a highly accomplished liar — plausible, believable and very professional. He commits these offenses for a living and is, therefore, incredibly well versed in identity theft, hotel and foreign travel," Detective Sgt. Andy Swindells, who arrested Guzman-Betancourt in 2005 after spotting him in a London supermarket, testifed at his trial.

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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iKyHglZaOXLUMuhbowUnQdLz-OWgD9B16P1O0

Derby Line is a tiny village and he must have stuck out there like a sore thumb.